Subscription Review: My Lit Box

This is my first subscription review *YAY* However, My Lit Box is not my first subscription. Just the first I wanted to talk about.

MY LIT BOX  is a monthly book subscription box celebrating diversity in literature! Each month you will receive a box containing a newly released novel as well as 1-2 quality book related goodies that will make your reading experience all the more enjoyable!- My Lit Box

What caught my attention with this box is its focus. This box focuses on diverse readings, which is extremely important to me because I’ve made it my mission this year to step out my YA fantasy box and read more adult literature, specifically from diverse writers.

I chose My Lit Box because choice and price. They give you an option to receive a small box or a full box. The small box contains just the book, while the full box contains the book and 1-2 book related items. I like that the power (or illusion, which ever type of person you are) of choice can change everything.

Price: The small box is $17 while the full box is $25. My Lit Box is on the cheaper end of subscription boxes that contain multiple items and I personally love it. It is a reasonable price that doesn’t exactly kill my budget. So let’s get to some pictures :)

Box # 1

I was not completely impressed with this book but I did appreciate the care the owner put into this. The personalized letter, the poem by Ysra Daley-Ward, the amazing tea and the sage really added something to the book. I was happy to receive this book and was happy when I opened it but it was a tad bit short lived. But on the plus side of it I really wanted the book Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo, so I was real happy to see that.

 Box #2 

Made me extremely happy and redeemed itself after the first box. Something about this box… maybe the mini doodle kit or the gorgeous pin made me feel giggly and excited. It wasn’t as personalized as the first one but more whimsical I would say for a lack of better term. I was really thrilled with this book.

Overall, my two month experience with My Lit Box has been one I enjoy. I plan on keeping with it because who doesn’t like getting packages in the mail that have nothing to do with bills.🙋🏿‍♀️ This chick does.

I would recommend this box. Its different, affordable and these book related items are cute and practical :)

Kudos My Lit Box

What Tanya Wants: August 2017

Impatiently Waiting For: The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
TBP Jan. 2, 2018
384 Pages

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.- Goodreads

Impatiently Waiting For: The Dire King (Jackaby #4) by William Ritter

Algonquin Young Readers
TBP: Aug. 22, 2017

The fate of the world is in the hands of detective of the supernatural R. F. Jackaby and his intrepid assistant, Abigail Rook. An evil king is turning ancient tensions into modern strife, using a blend of magic and technology to push Earth and the Otherworld into a mortal competition. Jackaby and Abigail are caught in the middle as they continue to solve the daily mysteries of New Fiddleham,

New England — like who’s created the rend between the worlds, how to close it, and why zombies are appearing around. At the same time, the romance between Abigail and the shape-shifting police detective Charlie Cane deepens, and Jackaby’s resistance to his feelings for 926 Augur Lane’s ghostly lady, Jenny, begins to give way. Before the four can think about their own futures, they will have to defeat an evil that wants to destroy the future altogether.- Goodreads

Book Review: All the Dead Girls (Graveyard Falls #3) by Rita Herron

Montlake Romance
To Be Published Nov. 22, 2016

A violent storm hits Graveyard Falls lifting a burial ground of teenage girls, each dressed in white holding a candle. Although a man is in jail for the crime done against her,  FBI agent Beth Fields knows its the same person that kidnapped her and her best friend is the one responsible for the killing of these girls. 

Ian Kimball knows his step-father didn’t kidnap Beth nor commit any murder and now Graveyard Fall’s Sheriff, he is making it his mission to prove his innocence. When the teenage girls are found, he meets Beth and he is nothing of what he thought she would be but she is everything he wants.  

But in order to find a killer, Beth and Ian must put their attraction aside as well as the past they do not realize they share.

As the third book to this series, I feel that it was much better than book two. There was more going on in the sense that it wasn’t the same damage girl meets damage boy, they solve case while falling in love. Yeah that is the bare bones of this story but Ian had character, Beth had character.

My issue with Beth is despite being a FBI agent she still needed saving more than I would have liked. I understand emotional weakness but she was constantly the damsel in distress and that wasn’t my thing.

I really enjoyed the pace of the novel as I did with the other two books. The suspense lacked but I did like the lack of predictability within this book. The things I saw coming had nothing to do with the murders and I did appreciate that.

Although I like this series, I am about done for it to be finished. I feel that the author will keep this series up for a while and I am not sure if I want to continue it. Rita is a good author and I recommend her to readers. I just may have hit my limit.

 

3 Pickles

Confession

For a while running this site began to feel like a job. The need to constantly check the stats and find out if anyone is viewing the twitter page, was starting to put a strain on my passion (which I think has been seen).

I had to rediscover my passion for not only books but for reading. I am still working on this but I am better than I was… better than I have been.

Impatiently Waiting For: Iron Cast by Destiny Soria

Amulet Books
To Be Published Oct 11, 2016
384 Pages

It’s Boston, 1919, and the Cast Iron club is packed. On stage, hemopaths—whose “afflicted” blood gives them the ability to create illusions through art—captivate their audience. Corinne and Ada have been best friends ever since infamous gangster Johnny Dervish recruited them into his circle.

By night they perform for Johnny’s crowds, and by day they con Boston’s elite. When a job goes wrong and Ada is imprisoned, they realize how precarious their position is.

After she escapes, two of the Cast Iron’s hires are shot, and Johnny disappears. With the law closing in, Corinne and Ada are forced to hunt for answers, even as betrayal faces them at every turn.- Goodreads

Book Review: Ink and Bone (The Great Library #1) by Rachel Caine

NAL
Published July 7, 2015
352 Pages

Jess Brightwell is a thief and by his father’s command he obtains illegal books to be sold on the black market. But according to his father, Jess can be used in better places, so he is sent to be a spy at the Great Library of Alexandria.

Jess’s loyality is tested between his family and the people he is beginning to care about. When his friend is charged with heresy, Jess quickly learns that the ones in control of the library will do anything to protect the books, even if it cost a human life.

Short Review**

This was a hard read and not because the gut of the story wasn’t good. The book was slow . . . to be blunt boring. But what really put the nail in the coffin was Jess. He didn’t have much personality nor life; not even the part of him being a thief made him more exciting.

The book was dry, which was surprising because books being illegal and people dying over it isn’t a bad theme to go with.  I expected some fight, passion, some intensity and even when things began to pick up, I didn’t believe it.

There wasn’t enough suspense nor mistrust in this novel and considering that Jess is lying to everyone around him, I would think he would always be on his guard. He fits in extremely easy and doesn’t feel too uncomfortable with himself even when he begins completing his family’s wishes.

What I liked about the book was the history; it was rich and there was care to be informative and believable. I have such a huge crush on the Library of Alexandria and at the same time I feel anger for the people that destroyed all of that knowledge. It hurts . . . it really does. I believe that Caine really did a great job infusing the history into the story but the characters, story-line didn’t match.

Caine isn’t a bad author; The Morganville Vampires series for the first few books wasn’t bad, which is exactly why I requested this book from Netgalley. Despite my issues with this book, I would like to read the second one because I am hoping Jess will become a better character.

Overall, I give this book a low rating but not without potential.

1 Pickle.

Impatiently Waiting For: Ivory and Bone (Ivory and Bone #1) by Julie Eshbaugh

HarperTeen
To Be Published June 7, 2016
384 Pages

A prehistoric fantasy—with allusions to Pride and Prejudice.

Hunting, gathering, and keeping his family safe—that’s the life seventeen-year-old Kol knows. Then bold, enigmatic Mya arrives from the south with her family, and Kol is captivated. He wants her to like and trust him, but any hopes of impressing her are ruined when he makes a careless—and nearly grave—mistake. However, there’s something more to Mya’s cool disdain…a history wrought with loss that comes to light when another clan arrives. With them is Lo, an enemy from Mya’s past who Mya swears has ulterior motives.

As Kol gets to know Lo, tensions between Mya and Lo escalate until violence erupts. Faced with shattering losses, Kol is forced to question every person he’s trusted. One thing is for sure: this was a war that Mya or Lo—Kol doesn’t know which—had been planning all along– Goodreads

The Frustrated Reader©: The Love Triangle

Google Images

The love triangle is such a complicated part of a story that authors can easily mess up. And let’s be honest, a lot of authors screw this up. So let’s start with the definition of a love triangle from Urban Dictionary, which I feel is most appropriate.

When two people both love a third person, and that third often loves them both. The object of their love may be conflicted as to whom he/she wants, and generally nobody emerges from these very happy. Love Triangles, as it is widely agreed, really f**** suck.

In most parts, I don’t have an issue with love triangles but they are being over used in almost all stories and it is the same scheme. For instance, the girl is in love with the newbie but her male best friend is the one that love her the most and she leads him on because she really doesn’t want to break his heart because she really doesn’t love him like that anymore. This is done in the reverse, with wolves and vampires, humans and fairies whatever the author feels like creating.

The love triangle doesn’t need to be predictable if you are going to use it. Nor does the girl, boy or whatever creature being used need to experience insta love or do they need to have the worst personalities to be found on earth. The worst personalities include: no personality, I get everything I want and will continue to do so personality, my parents are dead/hate me/ don’t care about me and I hate the world but not really personality etc. . . . I can go on and on about this. But I won’t.

No every book requires a love triangle to make it interesting. The best friends can be together without a dark stranger showing up out the blue. The protagonist can choose the new person, without feeling guilt or the protagonist doesn’t have to choose anyone and go about their merry way.

As stated before this issue isn’t the love triangle itself but more so how it is done. Crap happens and sometimes (although it may be rare as a teenager) you fall for more than one person. The best way to do a love triangle is to not do it. If you are on a writing path of the protagonist having to choose between two people who are completely polar opposites, then stop. Please let it go.

I do not need another three part book over someone who cannot make up their mind and enjoys leading people on.

BUT in the event that you still do it anyway, give your characters some substance . . . please.

###